New Jaguar Pricing Now Thousands OFF MSRP!! Low Prices Lease Payments Worldwide Delivery 1-888-861-8080
Posted by Fleetrates News 1-888-861-8080 at 4/28/2009 2:47 PM 
Categories: New Jaguar Pricing Now Thousands OFF MSRP!!
Tags: New Jaguar Pricing Thousands OFF MSRP!! Worldwide Delivery Research Reviews Buy Lease New Incentives
Categories: New Jaguar Pricing Now Thousands OFF MSRP!!
Tags: New Jaguar Pricing Thousands OFF MSRP!! Worldwide Delivery Research Reviews Buy Lease New Incentives
2009 Jaguar XK XKR Convertible
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2009 Jaguar Review
The Jaguar XK is largely credited with getting the British luxury brand back on track. With its sleek, sexy styling, Jag's sports coupe is both a departure from the stodgy designs that plagued the company for years and heir apparent to Jaguar's legendary 1960s E-Type. The XKR Coupe adds an extra 120 horsepower to the XK's pussy-footing 300 ponies and comes with an ample array of in-cabin tech, much of it standard equipment -- which is the way it should be on a car costing close to six figures. The only tech option on our test car (sticker price $91,225) was $750 for the Bowers & Wilkins Premium Sound System, which is well worth the extra dough. But for the $2,300 Luxury package, which mostly adds lots of extra leather and wood to the interior, not so much. The B&W sound system debuted on the Jaguar XF last year and is now available in this pick of the litter. It's easily one of the top OEM systems available in what is becoming an increasingly crowded field of name-brand high-end audio offerings in luxury cars. While this one isn't as sweet-sounding as the B&W system in the XF -- and seems added as an afterthought rather than designed for the car, as in the XF -- it's far superior to the standard Alpine audio system. The single-CD system handled my tough test tracks fairly well, leaving only a few audiophile nits to pick: the lowest bass notes were overbearing, strong midbass caused the door-mounted speakers to distort in protest, highs could be a bit brittle and vocals weren't entirely transparent. The soundstage was relatively high and imaging was for the most part distinct, no doubt aided by the center-channel speaker sitting on top of the dash. And I like that Jaguar allows a choice between listening in three-channel mode, with Dolby Pro Logic II processing engaged or plain old stereo. The XKR's touch-screen makes the audio system (and other features of the car) a cinch to operate, unlike the circular toggle controls on the steering wheel for volume up/down and track skip forward/back, which are too close together and similar sized. Nothing is more of a buzz-kill than going to crank up a song just as you're ready to really jam -- only to hit the adjacent track-skip knob instead. Call it musicus interruptus, if you follow my drift. iPod integration is also on board through a proprietary connector and cable in the center console, along with a USB port. (Strangely, the XKR doesn't come with an aux-in connector.) Once an iPod is connected, access to the device's music menu is available via the touch-screen, and music files on a USB stick are cataloged and presented in a menu structure similar to that of an iPod. Either way, it makes managing digital music files easy and intuitive. Bluetooth hands-free is equally straightforward and hassle-free -- and standard equipment. I had no problem pairing my phone, and the address book was automatically downloaded as well, allowing me to dial by pressing a name on the touchscreen. But that the car doesn't have voice-activation for phone calls -- or for any other functions, although it does have steering-wheel controls for initiating and ending calls -- is inexcusable in this day of Ford Sync-equipped econo-boxes. And when you're driving a powerful supercharged sports cars like the XKR, it's essential to be able to make a call, change albums or switch to satellite radio without removing your hands from the wheel and looking away from the road. But better yet, there's a "Do Not Disturb" feature in the phone menu to keep intruders at bay while you're enjoying a favorite route.
Summary
The XKR's DVD navigation system works well, although it's not exactly cutting-edge, and the touch-screen interface adds a level of convenience often lacking in systems with only a central controller, as in BMW and Mercedes vehicles. Our test car also came with gadgets such as front and rear parking aid (which gives audible warnings as well as visual indication on the touch-screen to show how close you are to an object) and a heated steering wheel (which is part of the Luxury option package). Our test car didn't come with adaptive cruise control, which has a feature called Forward Alert to warn drivers when they're too close to a vehicle in front whether ACC is on or not. Like the strong statement the Jaguar XKR makes in terms of styling, and complementing the fact that it can run with the big dogs of its segment, the car is on par if not ahead of the pack in terms of technology. Just as importantly, its tech toys rarely detract from enjoying the thrill of driving this fast cat.
The Jaguar XK is largely credited with getting the British luxury brand back on track. With its sleek, sexy styling, Jag's sports coupe is both a departure from the stodgy designs that plagued the company for years and heir apparent to Jaguar's legendary 1960s E-Type. The XKR Coupe adds an extra 120 horsepower to the XK's pussy-footing 300 ponies and comes with an ample array of in-cabin tech, much of it standard equipment -- which is the way it should be on a car costing close to six figures. The only tech option on our test car (sticker price $91,225) was $750 for the Bowers & Wilkins Premium Sound System, which is well worth the extra dough. But for the $2,300 Luxury package, which mostly adds lots of extra leather and wood to the interior, not so much. The B&W sound system debuted on the Jaguar XF last year and is now available in this pick of the litter. It's easily one of the top OEM systems available in what is becoming an increasingly crowded field of name-brand high-end audio offerings in luxury cars. While this one isn't as sweet-sounding as the B&W system in the XF -- and seems added as an afterthought rather than designed for the car, as in the XF -- it's far superior to the standard Alpine audio system. The single-CD system handled my tough test tracks fairly well, leaving only a few audiophile nits to pick: the lowest bass notes were overbearing, strong midbass caused the door-mounted speakers to distort in protest, highs could be a bit brittle and vocals weren't entirely transparent. The soundstage was relatively high and imaging was for the most part distinct, no doubt aided by the center-channel speaker sitting on top of the dash. And I like that Jaguar allows a choice between listening in three-channel mode, with Dolby Pro Logic II processing engaged or plain old stereo. The XKR's touch-screen makes the audio system (and other features of the car) a cinch to operate, unlike the circular toggle controls on the steering wheel for volume up/down and track skip forward/back, which are too close together and similar sized. Nothing is more of a buzz-kill than going to crank up a song just as you're ready to really jam -- only to hit the adjacent track-skip knob instead. Call it musicus interruptus, if you follow my drift. iPod integration is also on board through a proprietary connector and cable in the center console, along with a USB port. (Strangely, the XKR doesn't come with an aux-in connector.) Once an iPod is connected, access to the device's music menu is available via the touch-screen, and music files on a USB stick are cataloged and presented in a menu structure similar to that of an iPod. Either way, it makes managing digital music files easy and intuitive. Bluetooth hands-free is equally straightforward and hassle-free -- and standard equipment. I had no problem pairing my phone, and the address book was automatically downloaded as well, allowing me to dial by pressing a name on the touchscreen. But that the car doesn't have voice-activation for phone calls -- or for any other functions, although it does have steering-wheel controls for initiating and ending calls -- is inexcusable in this day of Ford Sync-equipped econo-boxes. And when you're driving a powerful supercharged sports cars like the XKR, it's essential to be able to make a call, change albums or switch to satellite radio without removing your hands from the wheel and looking away from the road. But better yet, there's a "Do Not Disturb" feature in the phone menu to keep intruders at bay while you're enjoying a favorite route.
Summary
The XKR's DVD navigation system works well, although it's not exactly cutting-edge, and the touch-screen interface adds a level of convenience often lacking in systems with only a central controller, as in BMW and Mercedes vehicles. Our test car also came with gadgets such as front and rear parking aid (which gives audible warnings as well as visual indication on the touch-screen to show how close you are to an object) and a heated steering wheel (which is part of the Luxury option package). Our test car didn't come with adaptive cruise control, which has a feature called Forward Alert to warn drivers when they're too close to a vehicle in front whether ACC is on or not. Like the strong statement the Jaguar XKR makes in terms of styling, and complementing the fact that it can run with the big dogs of its segment, the car is on par if not ahead of the pack in terms of technology. Just as importantly, its tech toys rarely detract from enjoying the thrill of driving this fast cat.
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